Advances in photovoltaic technology and, thus, photovoltaic (PV) panels have helped solar energy gain mass appeal among those wishing to reduce their carbon footprint and decrease their monthly energy costs. Basic solar cells can be constructed from crystalline silicon (c-Si) and assembled into a PV module having a basic laminate structure. More advanced solar cells, such as the Triex® cell, are based on a breakthrough tunneling junction cell architecture. The hybrid technology incorporates N-type crystalline silicon substrates to enable good carrier lifetime and low light induced degradation, thin film passivation layers to produce high voltage, and a semiconductor tunneling oxide interface layer for excellent junction quality and temperature coefficient performance.
Solar technology has made great strides in recent years from technological breakthroughs in increasing efficiency of PV modules. Such improvements are making solar energy a more viable energy source. In spite of these breakthroughs, cost per watt is perhaps the most determinative factor when deciding to implement a solar power installation. Unfortunately, PV panels are typically fabricated manually, which is a time-consuming and error-prone process that makes it costly to mass-produce reliable solar panels.
Thus, any aspect of the PV module manufacturing process that can increase throughput, and hence lower cost, has great importance for the viability of solar energy. Manufacturing tools, such as solar cell processing frames, for handling solar cells during the photolithography process, are one such aspect. These processing frames can help streamline the automated manufacture and handling of new technology solar cells, such as the Triex® cell. However, at a certain point in manufacture, use for these processing frames ceases and separation of the processing frame from the solar cells is required. This is a difficult matter, as the solar cells are very fragile and require minimal handling to avoid breakage.